Published Friday, July 28, 2000, in the San Jose Mercury News
Pinnacles climber is declared brain-dead, will be organ donor
BY LARRY SLONAKER
Mercury News
A 22-year-old Menlo Park man injured in a
climbing accident at Pinnacles National Monument over the weekend
was declared brain-dead late Wednesday and placed on life support
to await organ-transplant recipients.
William Ayers, a computer technician at a Palo Alto law firm, was
climbing with his brother at the popular rock-climbing area southeast
of Hollister on Saturday afternoon. Nearing the top of his climb, he
slipped and one of the anchors holding his rope gave way, said his
brother, Mike Ayers, 21.
William Ayers fell about 25 feet, his brother said. An anchor at a
lower point held the rope, but in the fall he apparently struck his head
just below his helmet.
``He had no other injuries -- not even bruises,'' Mike Ayers said.
William Ayers drifted in and out of consciousness, but by the time
rescuers were able to get him to an ambulance, he lost consciousness
and did not regain it, his brother said.
The ambulance took William Ayers to a nearby rendezvous with a
helicopter, and he was airlifted from the remote spot to Santa Clara
Valley Medical Center.
It was the first climbing fatality at the Pinnacles in about 11 years.
Pinnacles staff does not track the number of climbers, but the area
draws about 200,000 visitors a year -- ``many of them climbers,''
said chief ranger Jerry Case.
Mike Ayers characterized their climb, near the Moses Spring trail
head, as fairly easy. He and his brother have been climbing about
seven years, he said, several times at Pinnacles.
The brothers' mother, Nancy Ayers, said her sons did not get to climb
together much anymore, ``so that day was a special day for them.''
Last year, Mike Ayers fell while climbing and broke both ankles, his
elbow and wrist. He ended up in a hospital room next to the one
where his brother lay Thursday afternoon.
``I don't know if I'll climb again,'' he said. ``When I was on the rock
doing first aid, I was saying, `There's no way.'
``Since then . . . I could see myself getting back into it. It's how I deal
with stuff.''
Larry Slonaker covers San Benito County. Contact him at
lslonaker@sjmercury.com, or by fax or phone, (831) 636-9710.